Fading Away
by Villianous
Summary: Without Madara, Hashirama's life felt so empty. And it was all his own doing. AR-type story. Mild shounen-ai, character death.


Fading Away = Without Madara, Hashirama's life felt so empty. And it was all his own doing. AR-type story. Mild shounen-ai, character death.

**The story's back up. Sorry about that, something about copyright issues. My fault, the story should stay up this time.**

Hiya! Oh my Jashin, I finished something~ O.O

It's an old story that I've wanted to write since I saw the statues in the Valley Of The End. It wasn't that interesting an idea, so it remained in my notebook until I heard this song. The song itself, I don't really like, but the lyrics are such fun~

As a _Naruto _fan and worthless otaku leech, I hope I didn't do too badly?

**Disclaimer: only the idea is mine. Capeesh? I own nothing. Nothing, I tell you! Bwa ha ha haa!**

Warnings: Mild shounen-ai, character death, excessive emotion, graphics may not be suitable for children under 13. ; )

Hashirama, the first Hokage, the co-founder of Konoha, stared up at another perfectly blue Konoha sky. It had been about a month since he'd been forced to kill his friend and rival. Or maybe two months, it was hard to tell now; every day was the same as the last.

_Now it seems I'm fading _

_All my dreams are not worth saving _

_I've done my share of waiting_

Madara had always been around to cheer him up. To laugh at the different clans' power plays, to scold him for letting the war get him down, to put everything in perspective for him. The Uchiha had truly been his light in a cold world.

And now he was gone. Hashirama could only blame himself for it. If only he could have seen what was happening, stopped it somehow, done _something_! But, pressured by everyone around him, he had not noticed until it was far too late.

Madara had been cast out of his clan, and by extension, the village. By _definition_, the former clan head was now a missing-nin, and it'd fallen to his long-time rival to find and kill him.

_And I've still got nowhere else to go_

_So I wait for you to take me all the way_

_Take me all the way_

Madara smirked at the man before him. The Hokage, once so powerful, now swaying in exhaustion. How funny.

"Why, Madara?" Hashirama searched the Uchiha's face for any trace of his old friend. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why? Why not?" He smirked in that way Uchiha had, switching off the Mangekyou.

"You never used to be like this..." The Senju said sadly.

"I didn't, did I? But then, _before_,my clan hadn't kicked me out for _protecting _them!" Madara allowed himself to be drawn into the argument. It was part of the plan, after all.

"You could have come to me! I would've helped you!"

"Now he offers!" Madara laughed mockingly. "The same person accused of warmongering? Of _treason_? You would have had me locked up, if not outright killed!"

_Seems you're wanting me to stay _

_But my dreams would surely waste away_

_And I still have nowhere else to go_

"No―!" Hashirama choked out. The compulsion, the _urgency _to save his friend was a palpable force, pressing on his chest and constricting his throat. He _had _to save Madara!

"Then more the fool you!" Madara sneered, delighting in the Senju's consternation. "Besides, what could you have done? The Hokage doesn't tell the clans how to run themselves!"

"Madara, why are you doing this? You could have gone along with the treaty.. You didn't have to make a martyr of yourself!" With a wrench of will, Hashirama broke the familiar back-and-forth they'd so easily fallen into. They had often argued like this on the battlefield, and it tore him apart inside that they were enemies once again.

"Ha! I didn't want the _first _treaty, in case you didn't notice!" Snarled Madara.

"There were other things you could have done.. Wasn't being co-founder and the Hokage's rival enough?" He yelled, desperately trying to get his friend to _understand_, to come back with him.

"I couldn't stay in Konoha any longer, there are things I must do! Things that could not be done in that repressive backwoods of a village!" As if Hashirama could ever understand!

"What _things_? I could have helped you with them!" Hashirama shouted, his knuckles white with how hard he was clenching his hands. His blood ran thick with strong emotions and adrenaline. He needed to move!

"No, you wouldn't have." Madara said bleakly. His eyes unfocused as he gazed into a distance only he could see. And Hashirama saw his chance. He lunged forward, driving his kunai through the raven's beautiful body. He didn't like breaking Madara's trust_― _slim as it was**―** by attacking during the debating portion of the battle, but they could always talk when he came back, right?

Madara's Sharingan gave him warning, but he suddenly found himself unable to move. Disguised by the debris around him, branches had silently grown out of the ground near him, and when he'd tried to move, they'd immediately caught and trapped him.

_Damned wood jutsu_, he thought as he watched the Senju's blade sink into his body, seeming to move in slow motion.

Hashirama froze, eyes widening in horror as he realized what he'd done. He had only meant to injure the Uchiha, but Madara's movements had positioned his heart directly beneath the plunging blade. "I― I didn't mean to.. I don't want to kill you!" Madara's Sharingan faded and he coughed up blood, swaying as the adrenaline abruptly wore off. He would have fallen, had there not been the wood around him. A mixed blessing, to be sure.

Hashirama carefully pulled the kunai out of Madara, dispelling the wood encircling him, and eased him to the ground, arm around the raven's slim shoulders.

"... I'm a missing nin, Hashirama.. There can be no other end to this." He turned his head away, not wanting to see the Senju's expression. Madara, better than anyone else, knew how dangerous meeting Hashirama's eyes was. Not because of any ocular jutsu, no, but because so many people had changed their minds after meeting the Senju's eyes.

_So I wait for you to take me all the way_

_Take me all the way _

_Push me under, pull me farther _

_Take me all the way, take me all the way_

"No! Madara!" He hurriedly ripped strips of cloth from his clothes and bound the worst of Madara's wounds. It wouldn't stop the bleeding, but it would at least slow it. For a time...

"Don't.. It's better this way." Madara said, managing to put steel in his tone despite his wounds and the blood dribbling down his chin. He grasped at his would-be savior's sleeve for balance as Hashirama picked him up bridal style― the most comfortable way to carry someone with Madara's injuries― and started the long run back to Konoha.

"For who is it better?" He demanded. They both knew the truth of Madara's words, but Hashirama still denied it with all his might. He tried to make Madara as comfortable as possible, not wanting to hurt the raven, but at the same time needing to get him to the medics ASAP. The blood seeping from the Uchiha's wounds quickly saturated his clothing, promising to do the same to the Senju's.

".. I'll see my little brother again..." A faint smile graced his lips at the thought, so beautiful on him that Hashirama couldn't help but smile back, but it faded all too soon from his pale face. It was the first real smile he'd ever seen from the Uchiha, now that he thought about it.

"And you'll be the hero of Konoha, the person that killed the evil Uchiha." Madara said bitterly.

"I have the recognition of the village already: the only thing missing is you." Hashirama hugged the slim Uchiha to him somewhat nervously, but it failed to dampen the elation he felt at _finally _having told him!

Madara's heart wrenched traitorously at the Senju's quiet statement. He meant that much to Hashirama..? But this idiot Senju probably felt the same about the rest of the village*. He thought somewhat uncharitably, since Hashirama still wanted him to return to the village, even after all Madara had done.

Hashirama read Madara's thoughts and change of mood through their contact, as high-level shinobi can do, though his emotional state was easily discernable through the tension of his body. "No, while I do treasure the villagers, it's _you _that I want at my side." He said, smiling warmly. He hoped it was the right tack to use with the prideful Uchiha, but judging by the way Madara's eyes warmed, it must have been acceptable to him.

Madara had always respected the Senju; he could keep up with the best of the Uchiha, after all. Hypothetically, they were a good match. Strong and prosperous, the only problem was that their involvement wouldn't produce heirs, as was their responsibility as clan heads and strongest of their generation.

And that was quite a problem. for the new ninja villages, it was essential to raise children to "keep the peace," as they called it. It wasn't as urgent as it'd been during the wars, when there was an endless demand for more ninja to send to the lines, but it was still important.

But Madara chose to ignore that; the probability of his living to worry about any of that was nonexistent. What was the point in Hashirama and himself being unhappy in their last hour together?

"Hn, is that a proposal?" Madara half-smiled, closing his eyes in fatigue.

"Yes, it is." Hashirama grinned happily at the slender raven he carried in his arms, ecstatic that not only had Madara not rejected him; he had even encouraged him obliquely. He would have jumped and shouted for joy had he not needed his energy for running.

"Arrogant _Senju_!" Madara said mock-exasperatedly, making 'Senju' sound like an endearment. "Thinking yourself a suitable match for an Uchiha!"

"More than suitable~" He purred seductively, unable to resist a little teasing.

"Hn, don't get ahead of yourself." He curled into Hashirama's chest, ignoring his own wounds. And they were silent for a time, just enjoying each others' company.

".. But you know, even with this, you still can't make it to Konoha in time." Madara said softly. He knew this best of all. He'd selected the location and lured the Senju to it, a place far enough from Konoha that there was no possibility of interference. His part was to die in this last battle. Konoha, and Hashirama, would be better off without him, the black sheep of the Uchiha and the first missing-nin in the village's short history.

"I can still try..!" Hashirama irritably brushed away the tears threatening to spill over. He picked up speed, hoping against hope he'd make it in time. Madara snuggled closer to the Senju, determined to enjoy these last moments with his loving friend.

_Now it seems you're leaving _

_But we've only just begun _

Hashirama could have kicked himself when he realized he'd drawn into himself. Madara could have been trying to tell him something and he would have missed it!

"How are you doing, Madara?" He asked worriedly. The Uchiha was even paler than usual, his skin seeming almost transparent. He resembled a porcelain doll, small and very, very fragile.

"Hnn..." Madara roused himself from the fatigue brought on by pain and loss of blood. "I won't last much longer.. Hashirama..." He warned, finding even the small task of speaking an onerous drain.

"Just hold on, we'll be there soon!" Hashirama said, lying through his teeth. At his current pace, they were still an hour or two from the pursuit and medic teams that followed him, never mind Konoha. But he could tell that he was slowing down. It seemed to take an inordinate amount of time to traverse ground that he had covered so easily in his single-minded pursuit of the Uchiha.

"..." Madara knew he said that in an attempt to reassure him, because they were nowhere near the village. "It'll be soon..." He said, referring to his impending death.

"The long war just ended.. Didn't you promise me you wouldn't die?" Madara remembered that, said once when they were semi-arguing in the way of rivals.

".. I apologize..." The Uchiha convulsed in a fit of coughing, blood cascading from his partially open mouth.

"Don't leave me, Madara." He softly kissed Madara's forehead.

Soon Hashirama noticed the lithe raven's breaths were coming shallower and fewer in between as time passed. He ran on, hoping against hope that he would be in time!

Suddenly Hashirama realized that he recognized their surroundings. This wasn't far from where he'd left the others. He was almost there!

"We're almost there Madara." He gently shook the slender raven. ".. Madara?" His heart sinking, he slowed to a halt. Frantically he checked Madara's pulse, breath, heartbeat. It had all stopped. Hashirama numbly fell to his knees, clutching Madara to himself.

"_Madara..._" He sobbed. He had failed Madara. He couldn't save him. All his power, _and he still couldn't save his most precious person. _

Scattered raindrops began to fall around them, as if in sympathy.

_And you've still got nowhere else to go_

_So I wait for you to take me all the way_

_Take me all the way_

_And I've been waiting so long..._

* He means that in contrast to the reticent Uchiha, the Senju are given to displays of affection and they all love their entire clan and village. They sound like hippies to me... XD

Except that the Senju are ninja, of course. And ninja are, by definition, totally awesome.

Kyaa― I killed Madara-sama. Don't kill me, un. ^^'

Kuku, Hashirama glorifies the memory of his friend quite a bit, ne?

Un, I know that in the manga, Madara didn't die at that time, but this is fanfiction. I can write whatever I like~ ^0^

The ending is so awesome~ I could have written it just for the end, it's so awesome. I've always liked tragedy and the "holding a body in the rain" type endings. XD

What d'you think, ne?

**Please read, review, and/or pm~ Flames will be used to toast marshmallows. 3**


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